Tag Archives: Parsnips

I should note right up front in this blog that I LOVE winter storage crops and the food that comes from it. Many people say they don’t and then indicate that they prefer the tomatoes and strawberries of summer. ( To be honest…I like it all!)
I’ve noticed that many people haven’t really spent much time “meeting” winter crops. By winter crops, I mean those yummy hunks of goodness that are harvested late in the year and store well over winter.

Some examples here in western Michigan are:

Potatoes

Carrots

Parsnips

Rutabaga

Squash

Ida Red apples

Chestnuts

Sweet potatoes

Parsnips make potato dishes much more flavorful and interesting. Try some cabbage and chestnuts in your next stew.

If you are lucky enough to still have a farmers market open near you…pay it a visit. You’ll be rewarded with extra nutrition, “stay-with-you” hearty food, and a dimensional flavor that many summer crops don’t give.

Here is one of my favorite winter recipes. It is easy and tasty:

3, 2, 1 Potatoes!

3 large baking potatoes, peeled (or not, lots of good nutrition in that peel, wash well though)

2 medium Parsnips, peeled (Rutabaga works too)

Chunk them up into 1 1/2 chunks or so and toss them in a pot of hot water. Turn the heat on and bring to a boil. After 10 minutes of boiling, add:

1 large clove of garlic. (just peel and toss in)

Boil for another 15 minutes. Drain. If you used a colander to drain (I just use the lid of the pan to keep everything still in the pot and drain over a colander to catch the run-aways and put them back in). While the pan is still hot, add:

1/4 cup of cream (milk will do in a pinch, just up the butter a bit)

2 TBSP butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 dashes of black pepper.

Mash the potatoes. I use my hand-held electric mixer to mash faster to keep every thing hot and result in a fluffy dish. Ta-Da!

A mix of just about any winter crop using the same 1 strong flavor (onions, garlic…), 2 medium flavor (rutabaga, parnsip, carrots), and 3 mild flavor (pretty much potatoes but I have used cabbage and chestnuts here and it went well) results in a great winter dish. Flavors will vary of course…YAY for variety!!

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